


Maybe We Think Too Much

by love_killed_the_superstar



Series: But Beautiful We Three Are [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Arguing, F/F, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, the YANGST (yellow angst) is gradually getting more intense since this polypearls bomb sorry)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 18:53:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15646851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_killed_the_superstar/pseuds/love_killed_the_superstar
Summary: 13. Yellow began to walk and after a few moments, she reached back for Pearl's hand, snatching it up and pulling her along until they were in step with each other. Pearl's cheeks, blooming red, were impossible to tell apart from flustered or freezing, and Yellow decided maybe it was best she didn't know.





	Maybe We Think Too Much

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY i squeezed this out super fast (it hasn't even been proofread, fuck) before I go AWOL for the next couple days. Happy polypearls bomb yall!!! This has been a blast!! (Also, I know there's been a bit of a lack of focus on Blue. I'm working on it, I promise.)

Yellow reeeeeally didn’t like Rose Quartz. Not one bit.

It was literally only the fact that it would break Pearl’s heart that was keeping her from reporting to one of the professors about the underground duelling club Rose was orchestrating. Personally, it felt a little too much like someone trying to start a revolution against an unknown force and having no idea what to do with it - the icon of the club, the code name ‘The Crystal Gems’, and Rose’s overly preachy speeches about equality and like like. Pearl was eating up every word, bright-eyed and earnest, and part of it made Yellow’s skin crawl. Rose’s charisma was through the roof and Pearl was  _ obviously _ crushing on her (although whether or not she realised this herself remained to be seen). If Rose told her to jump, Pearl would ask how high. If Rose ever pissed somebody off and Pearl took the full force of a malicious spell or hex intended for Rose… well, it had Yellow quaking with rage.

But, of course, until something like that happened, Pearl continued to believe the sun shone out of Rose Quartz’s (admittedly, very nice) behind, and Yellow was powerless to stop it.

This particular night, the early summer of Pearl’s second year and their third, the trio found themselves studying down by the lake, trying to get a jump start on their homework. This proved slightly difficult since Pearl, having already finished her simple transfiguration assignment, kept interrupting the quiet to tell them stories, most of them involving Rose Quartz and Garnet Aberra in some way, shape or form. And frankly it was beginning to piss Yellow off.

Even Blue’s patience seemed to be waning thin, and Yellow caught the briefest of eyerolls, noticed only by the two of them, as Pearl happily recounted yet another story from her precious duelling club.

Then she rocked the boat.

“Hey, Yellow.”

“What?” groaned Yellow, refusing to take her eyes off the textbook page on polyjuice potion. “I have a damn essay plan to work up, Pearl, and honestly, I don't give a damn about what Rose precious Quartz has to say about wand techniques, okay?”

“This isn't about wand techniques! It's... it's about you.”

“Oh yeah? What about me?” Yellow mumbled absently, making notes on a jotter pad beside her.

“Something Rose told me about you. She said in first year, you... beat somebody up.”

Yellow's quill stilled. Her heart began to race. She could feel Blue tense up beside her.

Pearl seemed taken aback. “What, it's true? Seriously, Yellow? I told Rose it had to be a rumour! You yell at people, sure, but hurting somebody?”

“Pearl, drop it,” Blue warned.

“Wh... Blue, you knew about this?” Pearl asked, sounding bewildered. “Why? Why did neither of you tell me? And, and why did it happen in the first place?!”

“Damn it, Pearl, it's not as simple as you think!” Yellow snapped, throwing down her quill. Ink splattered everywhere, freckling her uniform, smattering up her arm. She wrenched her gaze up to meet Pearl's, hating the way she was looking at her, so confused and alarmed, and just how damn bad it made her feel inside.

“Then talk to me! Please!”

“I don't know where your precious Rose gets off telling stories about me to try and impress you or whatever, but she doesn't have a damn clue what she's talking about and neither do you,” Yellow hissed, feeling herself beginning to shake a little as hot embarrassment flooded her. “How dare she talk to you about me! We're not friends! She doesn't know a damn thing about me!”

Pearl was staring at her, stricken by her sudden outburst of anger, and Blue reached over to squeeze her arm comfortingly. “Yellow, please, calm down, let's just talk about this-”

Yellow wrenched her arm away and stood up abruptly, textbook falling down onto the grass, jotter crumpling beside it. Blue pulled her hand back like it had been burned, and Yellow caught a glimpse of hurt, dark eyes before Blue looked away, reaching down to pick up Yellow's belongings.

“Hey, you don't have to be a jerk about it,” Pearl started.

“No,  _ you _ don't have to stick your honking great nose into my business, Pearl! You don't have to listen to a word Rose fucking Quartz has to say about me! You don't have to stir the fucking pot! So just – just leave me alone, damn it!”

Pearl stared at her, unable to say another word, cheeks colouring in humiliation at Yellow's scolding. Feeling her heart constricting, threatening to burst right out of her chest, Yellow took off towards the castle without looking back.

 

…

 

Yellow didn't last longer than a few hours before Pearl found her. It was pouring, rain coming down heavily and soaking the bridge. Yellow was stood there, staring down below, the fog so thick it felt like they were suspended above the clouds themselves. She was soaked to the skin and shivering, still only in her sweater, hair plastered to her face.

“Yellow!” gasped Pearl, rushing over. “You're gonna freeze! Come on, please lets come inside!”

Yellow shook her head, brow furrowed in a deep frown.

“No. A few more minutes.”

Pearl relented, folding her arms uncomfortably over her chest.

“...Listen, Yellow, I'm sorry. I really am. Blue told me about it, kinda.”

Yellow shut her eyes, letting the rain wash away the walls that were hurriedly building themselves around her in her mind, trying to fight back against Pearl's words. She was ashamed. Ashamed at the very memory of what happened, ashamed of what caused it, ashamed that Pearl knew after she and Blue swore they wouldn't talk to her about it.

“It was only the once. I wish I hadn't done it. They threatened to send a letter to Mother over it, but I couldn't let that happen.”

She could almost hear the gears turning in Pearl's mind.

“She would have sent you a howler, for sure,” Pearl said quietly.

“Yeah. I begged them not to, and I guess they figured since I was a first year it was okay. In the end, I had to spend two weeks detention weeding for Professor Sprout. I still felt lucky.”

Pearl moved a little closer, and Yellow risked glancing over at her. She looked on the verge of tears.

“Blue said you attacked the kid because you got scared.”

Yellow swallowed thickly and mumbled, “I didn't want you to know about it.”

“But I need to know,” Pearl cried. “I don't want you to be upset, but...”

The silence between them stagnated for a while, and Yellow finally uttered, “It was some fifth year boy. He was being a jerk, he shoved me in the back of the head on his way to class, and I – it's so stupid, but for a moment I thought it was her, and she was gonna pull on my hair, a-and it happened really fast. I screamed and it freaked him out. And he started calling me a 'psycho bitch'...” She used air quotes, not missing the tears that slipped down Pearl's cheeks as she told the story. “I got really angry at him for scaring me like that and I just started punching him. I should have just walked away. Blue saw it all happen and pulled me off of him, but a professor saw too. I got in trouble for it.”

“I'm sorry,” whispered Pearl.

“I don't know how much Rose Quartz heard or saw,” Yellow said bitterly, “but it makes sense that there was a rumour going around that I'm crazy.”

“They don't know what she's like,” Pearl snapped, scrubbing at her tears. “If they did they'd know why you got scared.”

Yellow shrugged.

“It's not like it matters what they think. It was almost a year ago now, everyone's forgotten it except for the guy who's nose I broke.”

“You broke his nose?!” Pearl fretted.

“Hah. Yep. That's why I got in so much trouble even though he started it,” Yellow sighed. “Not a scratch on me, but I broke his face.”

“It isn't right,” Pearl said fiercely, eyes filling up with more tears. “If they knew what she was like, what she does to you...”

Yellow laughed weakly, covering her eyes.

“They'll never know, cause I'll never tell. And you'd better not either.”

Pearl let out a shaky sigh.

“No, I won't. They can all get us when we go home if we did, anyway. Mother can be cruel to me, but she's never gone as far as yours. I don't want her to.”

Yellow dragged Pearl into a tight hug, burying her face in Pearl's shoulder. Her eyes stung with tears as they stood there, soaked to the skin and shivering.

“I'm sorry,” Pearl said again, voice thick with sobs. “I... I didn't know.”

“It's okay,” Yellow mumbled into the fabric of her cloak, scratchy and dark, cold and comforting as a night sky. “I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have yelled.”

Her chest thrummed as she felt Pearl's body against hers, breathing raggedly with tears, holding her close. Whatever this feeling she was beginning to connect to Pearl and Blue was, it was making itself at home inside her. She wasn't sure if she could switch it off anymore.

“Come on, lets go back inside,” Pearl pleaded, pulling back from Yellow slightly, their faces close. “I'm freezing, and you've been out here even longer than me. You'll get a cold.”

“I've probably already got one,” Yellow sighed, pushing her wet fringe back from her eyes and detaching herself from the hug. She began to walk and after a few moments, she reached back for Pearl's hand, snatching it up and pulling her along until they were in step with each other. Pearl's cheeks, blooming red, were impossible to tell apart from flustered or freezing, and Yellow decided maybe it was best she didn't know.

“Hey, uh. Did you mean it, earlier, when you said about my nose?”

“What? No, of course not. I mean, our noses are equally matched in honkingness, so I think you're safe.”

Pearl gave a watery laugh.

“Jerk.”


End file.
